


Damaged Goths

by nightvesper



Category: Big Wolf on Campus
Genre: Anal Sex, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Sexual Situations, Blow Jobs, Canon Compliant, Declarations Of Love, Eventual Smut, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Masturbation, Season 3, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-10-01
Packaged: 2018-04-23 15:36:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4882297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightvesper/pseuds/nightvesper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merton has a really bad day, but it leads to something amazing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

The bell rang throughout the brick walls of Pleasantville High loudly chiming out the end of the school day.

“Time’s up! Leave your papers on the desks and I will pick them up. Have a good weekend, everybody!”

Tommy and Lori dropped their pencils with a sigh and began packing their things. Merton, who had long since finished, picked his head up off the table with a yawn and stood to join them. He carefully smoothed the rumpled fabric of his grey satin shirt before swinging his backpack up onto his shoulder.

“That exam kicked my ass,” Lori groaned at her test paper. “At least we have a long weekend; we can all go home and relax.”

“Relax? Easy for you to say!” Merton exclaimed. “My dad’s Navy friend is staying at the house this weekend. It’s an absolute nightmare.”

“So your dad has a friend over. What’s the big deal?” Tommy asked.

Merton’s eyes dropped to the floor and he cleared his throat. “We uh, got off on a bad foot. My old letterman jacket from the cheer squad was hanging on the coat rack and he saw it. Dad lied and told him I was on the football team. Later when I came home he asked what position I played, and it all sort of went downhill from there. I’m not allowed upstairs when he’s over anymore. That’s a whole weekend of sneaking food from the kitchen after they fall asleep.”

Lori looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Merton. That’s awful.”

Tommy’s eyes flashed gold and he let out a low growl. “You mean your dad hides you from people the way Becky does? Doesn’t he know how amazing you are?”

Merton scoffed. “Yeah, no. He doesn’t think so. Nor does anyone else, really.”

“I do,” Tommy said seriously. “You won a quiz bowl, you speak like seven languages, and your big brain has saved my butt more times than I can count.”

Merton’s expression softened. His friend’s words of praise made his heart swell. “Thanks, Tommy. But my father seems to think those things deserve his derision, not praise.”

The werewolf looked disgusted. He frowned deeply. “I’m sorry, man… Look, I can’t be late to practice again, but I’ll call this weekend and see how you’re doing. We can go out to The Factory together on Saturday,” he promised, laying his hand on the shorter man’s shoulder and squeezing it.

Merton smiled in gratitude and pressed his own hand to the quarterback’s.

“Have a good weekend, guys,” Tommy said, giving a final clap to the goth’s back before leaving out the door.

“Bye, Tommy,” Merton and Lori answered in unison. They followed at a distance as Tommy sprinted ahead.

Lori waited until the football captain was well out of earshot before turning back to Merton.

“So when are you going to tell him?” she asked.

Merton frowned at her, bewildered. “Tell who what?”

“Tell Tommy how you feel about him.”

Merton’s heart pounded. _How could she possibly know that?_ He tried to think of a time he’d slipped up and given himself away. Nothing came to mind. A quick weighing of his options told him to lie through his teeth. He struggled to control his voice when he finally spoke again.

“How I _feel_ about him? My dear, sweet, Lori. I don’t know what kind of after-school specials you’ve been watching, but I assure you the only ‘feelings’,” he air-quoted, “that I have for him are abiding friendship, and a mild irritation whenever he sheds in the lair.”

Lori rolled her eyes. “I know you want him. Why don’t you just admit it?”

Merton let out an exaggerated scoff. He was trembling now and his legs turned to jelly. “Lori, I don’t… You’re being absurd!”

“Oh please, Merton! It’s so obvious! The way you get all soppy when he says anything nice to you. Or how you constantly come up with excuses to hug and touch him? Oh, and I’m sure all those ‘physical exams’ you gave him weren’t completely necessary,” Lori’s blue eyes glinted wickedly.

Merton froze in his tracks. His heart leaped into his throat, strangling him. _Tommy told her about that?!_

“They were! Non-neutered adult canids are at a notoriously high risk for prostate disease,” Merton gesticulated wildly as his voice climbed in pitch to near hysteria. “The same applies to _homo lupus_ , according to Professor Flugelhoff. Even more so with alphas like Tommy. What do you suggest? He goes to some third-rate doctor for the exam, gets nervous, wolfs out, and they ship him off to a government lab to be dissected? I have the medical knowledge; I’m the only logical choice that won’t get him killed! It’s not like I forced him to do it, Lori.”

“Ok, jeeze! But that’s my point; he actually trusts you that much. You’ve _seen him naked_. You have photos! I was his girlfriend and I never even got that far,” Lori added with a raised eyebrow.

Merton flushed. This was mortifying. Sure, he may have overstepped the bounds of friendship a little, but he had good reasons for it! He actually had the rare and enviable opportunity to observe a lycanthrope’s responses up close and personal. The data he’d compiled already surpassed that of any other researcher in the field. The fact that it also titillated him personally didn’t really negate the importance of his study, did it? He couldn’t help his attraction. And he only used those photographs for professional applications. Well, apart that one time…

Tommy came into the lair a couple months prior begging for his help. The pine collar hadn’t worked. Merton drew him a bath of chemical treatment and oatmeal for his itchy skin. The werewolf stripped and stepped in. Merton thought he would burst through his jeans when he first laid hands on the quarterback’s naked body to wash him. As soon as he left Merton pulled out the dossier of his photos and flipped through them while he fucked himself on his vibrating dildo. He came screaming, and without so much as touching his cock. He wasn’t proud of it, and it took him days to look Tommy in the eyes afterwards.

“That was for scientific analysis and record keeping,” Merton mumbled.

“Uh huh. Do you also let him sleep in your bed for ‘scientific analysis’, or can you admit that you just like being as close to him as possible?” Lori asked.

Yep, apparently Tommy did tell her everything. Merton took a shaky breath and started walking again, his gaze pointedly fixed at the floor. Maybe he had taken things too far. But if he truly was that transparent, why hadn’t the werewolf said anything? If Tommy had any inkling of his feelings he would have told Merton to back off by now, wouldn’t he?

Either way, the sinking feeling in his gut told him there was no way to sway Lori from her conviction. His secret was out. “What do you want me to say? That I like Tommy? Fine. I like Tommy. Why do you care anyway?”

“Maybe picturing my two favorite boys together is kind of hot,” Lori teased, a coy smile playing on her lips.

Anxious as he remained, Merton’s doleful countenance immediately broke into a broad grin. His satin-clad arm snaked its way over the blonde’s shoulders. Biting his lip, he looked at her suggestively. “Really? You know if by some bizarre miracle Tommy and I did end up together, maybe all three of us could- OW!” he screamed.

Lori yanked his arm off of her and twisted it backwards. She glared at him, fury blazing in her eyes. “You are not _sharing_ me!”

“I was just joking!” Merton squeaked as she released his arm. “You can torment me with embarrassing questions and innuendo, but when I play along I get my arm mangled?”

Lori shook her head in resignation. “Fine. We’re even.”

They continued walking together past the double doors of the school and headed down the stone steps toward the parking lot.

Merton rubbed at his injured bicep. “Seriously though, why are you doing this? You and Tommy had a rough breakup. And then you and I sort of… Isn’t the love triangle thing a bit weird?”

Lori shrugged with an expression Merton couldn’t quite read. “Maybe it’s a little weird, but I want you both to be happy. You guys are so good together. Things will never work between me and Tommy, and the ‘you and I’ thing was nothing.”

Merton’s face fell.

“Oh come on, Merton. You know it’s true.”

“Yeah, sure. You came into my bedroom and made out with me because there was absolutely nothing between us,” Merton replied bitterly.

Lori rubbed her brow in exasperation. “We kissed once! I felt guilty, you nearly died, and Tommy was so pissed he stopped speaking to you. It’s not exactly a romantic story.”

Merton shuddered at the memory of that day, suddenly overcome with a fresh wave of shame. It was such a low point in his life, his loneliness and depression so stifling, that he’d been willing to take physical comfort from anyone - any way he could get it. Even if that meant hurting his best friend.

The truth was when he jumped in front of Tommy to save him, he hadn’t expected to survive. He’d never heard of a Gorgon’s spell being reversed. He gave Lori that note in hopes Tommy might watch his tapes to hear his final words, possibly forgiving him in death. There was no point in living if Tommy hated him. The werewolf was the one positive thing in the whole of his miserable life.

“I see your point,” Merton muttered. “But that’s just it! Even if I were to believe that Tommy could like me. Which I don’t,” he added with a raised finger. “He still wants you! It’s why that whole thing happened in the first place. He was jealous of me.”

Lori was quiet a moment, pausing thoughtfully. “It’s funny you mention that. I’m not so sure it was _you_ he was jealous of. After you got frozen in stone things got weird. Tommy kept asking me all these questions about kissing you: what it felt like, how good you were at it…”

Merton exhaled, shaking his head. “He was probably just asking to make sure his ego wouldn’t be bruised by being worse than me.”

Lori nodded her agreement. “That’s what I thought at first, but that wasn’t it. Like, he _really_ wanted to know, Merton. He was more preoccupied with your technique than he was with the fact that we actually kissed. I’m not sure he even knew why he was asking.”

Merton stared at her in disbelief. He fought to destroy every fragment of hope she produced in him. It couldn’t be true. “Lori, I’d love to believe you, but Tommy has never shown interest in other men. And even if he weren’t straight, he would never want someone like me. He’s miles out of my league. I’ll just do what I’ve been doing. I’ll bury my love for him deep in my soul under the stifling weight of my own inadequacy.”

“’Love’?” Lori asked with a meaningful sidelong glance.

Merton swallowed, but didn’t answer.

They slowed their pace upon reaching the hearse. Merton grabbed the handle of his car and swung the door wide. “Do you need a ride home?” he asked, climbing in and buckling his seatbelt.

Lori smiled gently. “No thanks. I have a ride.”

“Alright. Have a good weekend,” Merton said weakly. The barrage of questions and stress left him feeling drained.

“I think Tommy loves you too, Merton.” Lori’s expression was soft and sympathetic.

Merton turned away from her with a sigh. He slammed the car door, rattling the large silver crucifix that dangled from his rearview mirror. Without looking back he started the engine and drove off.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm including the deleted scene where Tommy keeps asking Lori questions about Merton's kissing skills in 3x21 as part of the canon here.  
> As an aside, Merton giving Tommy a prostate exam/taking naked photos of him is canon as of 1x7, and bathing him canon as of 1x20.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Merton sat at his computer desk, shaking with fear. “I swear its Becky’s!” he whimpered pathetically.

His father stood over him, purple with rage. He was waving a magazine in the goth’s face. “Then why was it addressed to you? I didn’t raise no fucking queer!” Mr. Dingle shouted. 

Merton flinched, turning away in humiliation. “S-s-she used my credit card. You have to be 18 to order online...”

His father grabbed a jar off a shelf and threw it at the far wall. The glass shattered and sprayed a viscous green liquid all over the walls and floor.

Merton shrieked. His body curled into a tight ball.

Seething, the Navy SEAL held the magazine out before him and tore out a fistful of pages. He let them fall loosely to the ground and handed the empty spine back to his son. Merton accepted it with trembling hands.

“I know you’re fucking lying to me! If I see any of this shit again, you won’t be living in the basement; you’ll be out on the street,” his father threatened. And without a second look, he stormed back upstairs.

Within moments of his departure, the door to the outside swung open. Merton jumped at the sound of the doorknob smacking the wall.

Tommy rushed into the lair, wolfed out and frantic. “You ok, man? I heard you scream!”

“Tommy! What are you doing here?” Merton gasped, clutching his chest. He wondered how much of the fight the other man had heard.

“I was worried. Practice was over and I thought I should drop by and see how you were doing. What was all that about? Did he hurt you?” Tommy asked, concerned. His yellow eyes glowed like lamps in the dim light of the goth’s bedroom.

Merton shook his head, trying to pull himself together and get his heart rate back to normal. Lori already left him rattled, and then going home to find his dad going through his mail was too much for one day. That made two people he accidentally outed himself to. Not to mention his father just destroyed what remained of Doctor Laszlo.

“I’m fine,” Merton lied. “Just your typical parent-child scuffling.”

Tommy’s jaw clenched. “You should get out of here. I should have offered when you first told me… Do you want to stay at my house this weekend? My family’s out of town so we’d actually have privacy for once.”

Merton had never stayed at the quarterback’s house before. Or anyone’s for that matter. “Yeah that sounds great! Thanks.”

Tommy nodded. “Good. Here, let me help you clean up first.” He knelt down on his knees and reached for one of the leafs of the destroyed magazine.

“No, wait!” Merton cried. He dove to the floor, scrambling to grab the scattered pages before the other man could reach them.

It was too late. Tommy held a few of the pages up in surprise, and then looked down to examine the ones still littering the floor. They were all photographs of men. Half-naked men in suggestive poses. He stared silently at the pictures for a long moment, his mouth twisted and eyebrows furrowed.

Merton blanched, all the remaining color draining from his already pallid face. His heart beat so rapidly he thought he might pass out. “I can explain,” he squeaked.

“You like guys?” Tommy asked awkwardly.

This was too much. It was all too much all at once. Merton couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t feel anything. The only thought running through his mind was that Tommy was going to hate him. He’d be alone. Again. The goth pulled his knees up to his chest and held himself tightly as tears streaked down his face. Choking sobs racked his body and he began weeping uncontrollably.

“You’re crying…” Tommy whispered. He put a paw to the goth's cheek.

Merton stole a glance at him through the fog of his tears. The werewolf appeared almost as distraught as he was.

“I’ve seen you bitten, beaten, possessed, poisoned, and buried alive, but I’ve never seen you cry. After all we’ve been through, Merton, why didn’t you just tell me about this?”

“I’m so sorry. I should have said something. I shouldn’t have let you… I didn’t think you would…” Merton rambled through sobs.

“Are you attracted to me?” Tommy asked quietly. The quarterback was avoiding eye contact.

Merton’s eyes widened. This was it. It was all over now. He opened his mouth to answer, not certain if he was going to lie or not when Tommy cut him off.

“I’m sorry. Just forget it,” Tommy said dismissively. “We should go. I can drive if you’re upset.”

Merton blinked in surprise. He wiped the tears from his face. “You don’t want me staying with you still, do you?”

Tommy gave a nervous little half-smile. “Yeah, of course. We’re friends, right?”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

“Just throw your stuff wherever.”

Merton had only been in Tommy’s bedroom a handful of times, and each time it struck him how little the football captain owned. He set his overnight bag on the floor by the bed and took in the sparse decorations. A poster of Pamela Anderson, a few trophies, a couple of knick knacks, and that was about it. It was in that moment Merton recognized the sacrifice Tommy made in trading his John Elway rookie card for his cure. He had no idea the actual cost of the item, but he finally understood its value to the werewolf. The sacrifice was supposed to be Merton’s alone, and yet Tommy still ended up paying dearly for it.

Tommy kicked his cleats off and collapsed on his bed with a sigh. He flipped the tv on.

“How about a movie? I brought some over.” Merton asked shyly. He reached into his duffel bag for a large black case filled with DVDs. He felt very uncomfortable and was eager to distract the werewolf from his recent revelation with something more routine. 

Tommy nodded. “Alright, but nothing super gory. Got any action movies?” he asked.

Merton thumbed through the vinyl sleeves of his DVD case to find something suitable. His hand paused when it grazed a particular disk. “Have you seen The Crow?”

Tommy grimaced. “Isn’t that like, your favorite poem by that creepy moustache guy? Of all the things you’ve ever recited to make me un-wolf that was the worst. Like, it was cool, but not calming.”

Merton laughed affectionately. “No, that’s ‘The Raven’. And yeah, I should have thought about that one a little more, but it was the only thing that came to me in a pinch. I’m glad you liked it.”

 He would normally have teased the other man for the mistake, but was genuinely touched that Tommy remembered it was his favorite poem. He refused to let himself spoil the moment with pedantry.

Tommy rewarded him with a wide grin. “So what’s this about then?”

“It’s a supernatural revenge movie. This man and his fiancée are murdered by a street gang the night before their wedding. One year later he rises from the grave to wreak vengeance on the men who killed them.” Merton stole a glance at Tommy who appeared to be only vaguely interested. “Brandon Lee is in it. It was his last film before he died,” he added, hoping for a better response.

Tommy perked up instantly. “Bruce Lee’s son is in it? We’re totally watching it!”

Merton grinned excitedly. Pushing the disk into the DVD player, he scanned the room for a place to sit. Unlike his own lair, Tommy had no couch.

“Why don’t you just sit with me?” Tommy asked, patting the empty space on the bed beside him. He scooted over to give Merton more room.

Merton’s pleasant smile turned lopsided. He took off his own boots and quickly obeyed. Sitting down gingerly, he placed his hands in his lap not knowing what to do with himself. Tommy’s bed was smaller than his own, and the quarterback’s broad shoulder pressed into his. They’d done this many times at his own house, but this was different. With his secret out he was sure Tommy would want as little physical contact between them as possible. Apparently the werewolf was harder to scare off than he thought.

Merton felt immeasurably lucky that Tommy still wanted to be his friend. Friendship was all he could possibly hope for now. He’d force himself to be content with that. He tried not to think about how close their bodies were. Or about how much of Tommy’s bare skin had touched these sheets. Or what the quarterback might have done in them.

Tommy seemed enthralled by the movie from the beginning. His focus was intent on the screen, and he made periodic comments of approval. At one point he congratulated Merton on choosing an ‘awesome movie’ by draping his arm around the shorter man’s back and squeezing. He left it wrapped around him, his large hand resting on Merton’s waist.

Merton was having a difficult time concentrating on anything happening on screen. Now they weren’t just arm to arm, but sides and hips pressed firmly together. He was so nervous he felt his body vibrating with tension. This went from terrifying to confusing in nothing flat. It was almost like…Tommy was doing this on purpose.

He didn’t have long to meditate on that thought, because before he could draw another shaky breath Tommy’s mouth was on his.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

Tommy could feel the tension in the other man’s body as he pressed their lips together, and knew he had to be at least as nervous as he was.

Merton jerked away like he’d been stung. “Tommy, what are you doing?”

Tommy’s eyebrows drew together and he frowned in dismay. “I thought this is what you wanted?”

“What exactly is ‘this’?” Merton’s voice shook, threatening to crack.

The weight of what he’d just done struck the werewolf. _Everything,_ he wanted to say, but when the piercing blue eyes traveled up to meet his own he felt truly afraid for the first time.

He began to realize the goth had feelings for him months ago, and it had taken Tommy all this time to work up to telling Merton he reciprocated. The only thing that gave the quarterback the courage to kiss him in the first place was hearing definitive proof that Merton wasn’t straight. He’d been so sure the goth wanted him, but now he felt doubt. Maybe he only liked _other_ guys.

“What does it mean to you?” Tommy asked elusively. It was a cheap way to discover how Merton felt before he exposed his own heart any further, and he knew it. He watched Merton hesitate, taking a deep breath.

When the goth finally spoke, his voice was raw and brimming with emotion. “I’ve spent my whole life waiting for someone to love me, but so far I’ve always been alone. I once told you that you were the only person who made me feel like I was really alive. I wasn’t employing hyperbole. I’ve never been this close to anyone else. Whenever you touch me, I feel...” he trailed off.

Tommy’s breath caught in his throat. He wanted nothing more than to wrap the other man in his arms, hold him, and comfort him. “Merton…” he started, but was cut off abruptly.

“So if this isn’t something you see going the distance, if you’re doing this out of pity, or if this is just to get your experimental rocks off… I’m begging you to find someone else to torment. I can’t bear it. I love you so much, and it would kill me.”

 _Merton loved him._ That was all he needed to hear. “I love you too,” Tommy insisted, his own voice wavering slightly. “I just didn’t know how to tell you before.”

“No you don’t,” Merton mumbled. “Don't say that. I’m not good enough for you.”

Tommy was taken aback. As arrogant as Merton sometimes acted, he forgot how fragile the man could be. “How can you say that?”

“Because it’s true, Tommy!” Merton exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. “You’re gorgeous, athletic, popular. You could have anyone you want. Anyone! There’s practically a queue of women at your locker whenever you’re available. You want to date a man? Fuckin’ go for it. Find someone your own caliber. Not a social pariah who can’t find a date that doesn’t want to kill him.”

Tommy’s eyes glowed in anger. He hated hearing Merton talk about himself that way. “Yeah? And how many of those people would stick with me after they found out what I was? They all like who they think I am; how many would like the real me? You know better than anyone how quickly they turn on people who are different. No one out there could be better than you.”

Merton shook his head in disbelief. He was staring, unfocused, at Tommy’s plaid comforter. “You’re a better man than I am. I don’t deserve you.”

Tommy tried to think of a way to prove the honesty of his feelings. He threaded his fingers into Merton’s, drawing his gaze toward his own. Merton swallowed, flinching away from the prolonged eye contact.

“On the day we met I treated you like dirt. Less than a week later I broke into your bedroom in the middle of the night and asked for your help. Not only did you help me then after everything I did, but you’ve spent most of the last year risking your life, helping me every day to figure out who and what I am. Now I know that better than ever. I know what I want, and it’s you,” Tommy declared.

Merton’s blue eyes turned glassy. “You’re serious.”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything,” Tommy said.

The goth blinked back tears and smiled rapturously. He placed a trembling white hand to the quarterback’s stubbled cheek. Tommy leaned into the hand and covered it with his own.

Merton leaned forward cautiously but with palpable longing. He paused mere inches from the werewolf’s face. They locked eyes for a moment, both hesitating.

Tommy could hear the sound of the other man’s blood pumping faster. He could smell his hair gel and his vanilla lotion and his skin. He could feel one of his soft hands caressing his cheek, and the other slowly creeping up over his bicep. Now he wanted to taste him. He closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to the goth’s.

Merton’s kiss was tentative at first, but his soft lips moved over Tommy’s insistently and with just the right amount of pressure. He kissed like there was nothing in the world he wanted more than Tommy’s mouth on his. His arm wrapped around the werewolf’s body, squeezing tightly around his broad shoulders.

The werewolf should have felt it coming, that familiar internal pull, but he was too distracted by his friend’s mouth to notice. His sharp canines extended before he could stop them and pierced the flesh of Merton’s lip. He released him when he heard a small cry of pain.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to bite you!” Tommy agonized.

Merton touched a finger to his mouth. The wound was slight, hardly breaking the skin. He brought his hand up to examine the small trace of blood that was left there. He looked from his finger to Tommy in astonishment. “You wolfed out,” he remarked, admiring the other man’s transfigured form.

Tommy felt embarrassed, just as he did every time he got too excited and this happened. He wished he just had normal problems instead of these bizarre physiological ones. “It caught me off guard. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to - ” he tried to explain before Merton waved it off.

“No. It’s fine. I meant I never thought I would be able to do that to you. It’s incredibly sexy,” Merton grinned.

“It’s sexy to kiss a big hairy monster?” Tommy grumbled, peering down at his newly formed paws.

Merton raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s sexy to watch you lose control.”

It was then that Tommy noticed Merton was in a similar state to himself. His blue eyes were dilated and his blood pressure elevated. Merton started to lean in to him again.

“But I hurt you,” Tommy fretted. He placed his clawed finger to the other man’s mouth to soothe it.

Merton’s breath hitched when the werewolf touched him. “You barely got me. And I really don’t want to stop.”

Tommy nodded his agreement and dove straight back for another kiss.

Upon realizing the reaction he could elicit, Merton grew bolder. He drew the werewolf’s lip in between his teeth and tugged gently. Retaliation. Not that Tommy minded. The hand on his cheek wandered slowly, moving back to his ear and upward through his hair, gently tugging at the quarterback’s sandy curls. A sudden jolt of heat shot straight to his groin when Merton pulled his hair. He crushed Merton harder against himself, opening his mouth wider and devoured the goth’s lips.

Merton was apparently up to the challenge. He eagerly returned the deepening kiss, sliding his tongue in between Tommy’s parted lips. Merton caressed his tongue with his own, carefully avoiding the werewolf’s sharp fangs.

Tommy groaned at the unexpected intrusion. _Lori was right: he is a great kisser._ The hand on Tommy’s arm moved downward and played with the hem of his shirt. Tommy could feel shy fingertips just barely brushing the skin of his stomach underneath. _Merton wanted to touch him? Fine by him_. He pulled his t-shirt off in one quick motion and went to work on the other man’s. The quarterback silently cursed him for wearing clothing with so many buttons.

Merton chuckled, watching Tommy grow frustrated and finished undoing last few buttons by himself.

Tommy pushed him down onto the bed hard, sitting on top of him to wipe the smirk off his face. He pressed his hips forward experimentally, moaning when he felt the hard line of Merton’s erection against his own. The quarterback bent down and trailed wet kisses over his jaw line to his neck.

Merton gasped when Tommy licked and sucked on his pulse point. He squirmed underneath the werewolf, his fingers clutching at his back convulsively.

Tommy drew back, unbuttoning Merton’s slacks and pulling them off to reveal black silk boxers. He breathed in the scent of the goth’s arousal, rubbing his cheek against the soft, tented fabric.

Merton gave a sharp little whine at the touch and pushed Tommy off of him.

Tommy frowned in concern, worried he’d overstepped his bounds. He quickly got back with the program when Merton shoved him over and went to work removing Tommy’s remaining clothes.

“Can I…?” Merton asked uncertainly.

“Uh, sure,” Tommy answered, not positive what he just agreed to. He soon discovered what Merton meant as he wrapped his hand around his erection. Tommy groaned. It felt great to have someone else touch him for once.

“You’re big.” Merton marveled. He was breathing hard, entranced as he stroked the other man. The goth leaned down, licking a stripe up his length and mouthing kisses along the thick shaft.

Tommy growled low in his throat. The slow tease was more than he could handle. “Merton, please,” he whined, embarrassing himself with the neediness of his own voice.

Merton took pity on him and slid the head of his cock into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around it and took it down as far as he could go. What he couldn’t fit into his mouth he stroked with his hand, making humming noises that vibrated over his length. 

The werewolf’s paws tore at the sheets. He fought the urge to thrust up into Merton’s mouth, twitching and panting as the goth worked him. Despite the state he was in, Tommy decided he didn’t want to come without getting to at least touch the other man properly. With some reluctance, he eased Merton’s mouth off of him.

Merton looked up in confusion.”Don’t you want me to finish you?” he asked. His lips were swollen and his voice was rougher than usual.

“Not yet,” Tommy said through labored breaths.

Merton’s eyes lit up. “We could have sex,” he said brightly.

Tommy blinked. The idea of it was exciting and terrifying, and he felt so completely unprepared that he froze with the suggestion. “I uh, thought we could do what you were doing…at the same time or something,” he said awkwardly.

Merton huffed a short laugh. “Tommy, you bit me just from kissing. No offense, but I think we should wait until we understand your sexual responses a little better.”

Tommy nodded begrudgingly.

“If you don’t want that, you can just let me get you off and we can worry about me later.” Merton gave him a self-conscious little half smile. 

Uncomfortable as he felt, Tommy decided he owed the man an explanation. He couldn't have him thinking it had something to do with him. “I want to,” the quarterback said nervously, “but I don’t really know what to do with a guy.” He swallowed and took a deep breath before continuing on. “Is it like normal sex? Don’t you have to work up to it or something? I have claws so I can’t really… How do we decide who…? Does it hurt?”

Merton’s eyes widened in surprise. He cleared his throat. “Uh, w-well, there are some differences. It shouldn’t hurt if you do it right. I’m happy with anything, but I just assumed you would want to top, at least for now... And I don’t really need to be worked up like that since I do it all the time.”

“You’ve done this before?” Tommy asked in astonishment. He was encouraged that at least Merton was sure of himself.

“Well, not – not with another person,” Merton mumbled, embarrassed. “But yeah I’ve…lots of times. Usually I pretend it’s you there with me.”

Tommy’s fear was replaced by a fresh flood of lust at the idea of Merton getting off on thoughts of him. He groaned internally, deciding right then he’d never wanted anything more in his life than to make that fantasy come true. With a possessive growl, Tommy grabbed Merton bodily and flipped him over, switching their positions. Merton gasped in surprise when his back hit the bed. Tommy went back up to claim his mouth and they started all over.

Tommy moaned when Merton broke their contact to press kisses along his neck, biting and sucking at the soft skin of his nape. Tommy did the same to Merton, kissing down past his collarbone and chest. Merton whined as Tommy’s mouth toyed with one of his tiny pink nipples.

Tommy smiled at the reaction and repeated the action to the other side. He pinched the first one, still wet with his saliva. Merton moaned again loudly, thrusting his hips up involuntarily to meet Tommy’s. Tommy growled at the contact, traveling back up his body to kiss Merton’s mouth. The kiss was hard and desperate as he ground his hardness against the goth’s. Their needy sounds becoming more insistent with each roll of their hips.

Tommy pinched Merton’s nipples again, savoring how he squirmed under his touch. “You’re so sensitive,” he murmured in amusement.

Merton gasped, squeezing his legs together underneath Tommy. “You’re telling me. If you do that again, I’m gonna blow it before we start. Do you have lube?” he asked, pulling off his boxers and throwing them aside.

Tommy reached into his nightstand pulled out a small clear bottle, handing it to him.

Merton poured some of the contents on his fingers and reached down between their bodies to slick himself up. He poured more into his hand and spread it onto Tommy.

Tommy hissed through his teeth at the wet hand rubbing up and down the length of his cock. “You sure you want to do this?” he asked. “Will you tell me if I - ?”

“Yes!” Merton insisted, cutting him off. He brought his legs up to his sides and attempted to pull Tommy down onto him.

As nervous as he was, Tommy couldn’t resist the man beneath him. He clamped his eyes shut and took himself in hand. Holding his breath, he lined himself up with Merton’s entrance and pushed slowly inside. It was tight and warm and wet and unlike anything he’d ever felt. Merton’s throaty groan made him open his eyes again. He felt like he should say something, staring into the other man’s blue eyes, but couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it should be.

For once Merton didn’t have words either. His mouth worked but no sound came from it. His expression of wonder quickly melted to pleasure when Tommy took a tenuous first thrust. And then another. And another.

“You ok?” Tommy asked, breathlessly. He realized his question might come across as more genuine if he could hold still to ask it, but his body was trying to figure out a rhythm, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop unless he had to. He was already going as slow as he could bear it, trying to let Merton adjust to his size. The sensations were far more intense than he could have imagined.

“Yeah,” Merton whispered. “Go faster.” His breath was ragged and his pale chest was flushed a mottled pink. He reached for the other man’s strong jaw to pull him back down.  

Tommy bent down to kiss him again, moving quicker now in and out. The kiss was sloppy and wet and lacked any of the finesse it had before. They moaned against each other’s mouths, sharing rapid, shallow breaths and trying not to lose any momentum in the process.

Tommy pulled away first and pushed himself up off his elbows. Having those soft lips pressed against his own was speeding things up for him more than he wanted. They were both way too worked up when they started, and he didn’t think he was going to be able to make it last as it was.

 “Can you tilt up a bit more? Just…” Merton’s voice trailed off in a pleasured groan when Tommy obliged. His spiky head fell back against the mattress.

“You ok?” Tommy panted, gritting his teeth and struggling to keep it together. The pressure built steadily inside of him and wound itself tight. When he didn’t get a response, he adjusted himself up higher still, hooking one of Merton’s slim legs over his own muscular shoulder and bent him in half, searching for the angle he wanted. He found it with a shout from the other man.

“UNH! Unh! Oh god Tommy!” Merton cried. The fingers of one of his hands clawed deep into the flesh of Tommy’s ass, guiding his thrusts and hauling him harder into himself. The other flew down between them to jerk his swollen cock. Clear fluid leaked from the slit down onto his stomach.

Tommy moved faster at the encouragement. He shoved his hips forward and grunted at the effort of holding the new position. The headboard banged loudly against the wall. The sounds Merton made were driving Tommy crazy. Every well-aimed thrust drew another needy, whimpering cry from the man beneath him.

The quarterback’s balls drew tight and his cock twitched in warning. He chewed the inside of his cheek, clamping down on his muscles in an attempt to hold back. This wouldn’t last much longer. “I’m close,” Tommy gasped into the other man’s ear.

“Oh my god, Tommy, keep going. Please don’t stop!” Merton babbled, practically sobbing with pleasure. His eyes squeezed shut and he stroked himself faster, gripping Tommy’s shoulder for support. “Don’t stop! _Please_ , I’m about to.. _. I’m…I’mgonna-!”_   The goth’s mouth fell open, face contorting as he came with a scream. His slender body shuddered, back arched, and his legs shook hard enough that Tommy had to hold him down. Thick streams of white fluid shot clear over his stomach onto his chest. He cried out at each shockwave that washed over him.

That was all Tommy could take. Watching Merton and feeling the rhythmic contractions of his body squeezing down around him were all it took to send him over the edge. The quarterback fell forward, hips jerking abortively against the other man’s. He muffled howls of release against Merton’s calf, coming hard inside of him.

Tommy let Merton’s leg fall off his shoulder and collapsed on top of him with a sigh. The wolf finally satisfied, he transformed back. His brain turned to mush and it took him a while to realize his weight was suffocating his partner. He rolled off to lie next to him.

Merton gasped when Tommy pulled out, grimacing a little. “Do you have a tissue or something?”

Tommy grabbed a handful off his nightstand and handed them to Merton who quickly cleaned himself off. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think about pulling out. It felt so good I didn’t want to stop,” he added, ashamed.

Merton gave an exhausted laugh. “I think I remember begging you not to. Totally worth it.” He ran the fingers of his dry hand through the quarterback’s hair, gazing into the other man’s large hazel eyes before turning away shyly.

Tommy placed a hand to his cheek and turned him back gently. He could see the insecurity in the other man’s face. “You ok?” he asked with concern.

“Yeah, I uh…It’s a lot.”

“For me too,” Tommy admitted, placing a soft kiss to the goth’s mouth. “I love you, Merton. I meant it.” he reassured him.

Merton’s eyes shone with elation. “I love you too. More than I’ve ever loved anything.”

Tommy kissed his hand, and then his cheek, and then his lips again. The goth melted into the kiss, calming slightly.

Tommy ran a finger through the mess Merton made of his own stomach. “Do you want to shower with me?” he asked, smirking.

Merton groaned in protest, sluggishly repositioning himself and burying his spiky head against Tommy’s chest. “Wouldn’t I have to move for that?” came the muffled reply.

Tommy grinned. “Nope!” The werewolf stood and scooped the other man up into his arms.

Merton’s legs draped over one arm and his head rested on Tommy’s shoulder. “Traditionally, the bridal carry happens _before_ the sex. Not that I’m complaining,” he added in amusement as Tommy started walking him toward the bathroom.

“What’s traditional about a werewolf and his goth boyfriend?”

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

Merton woke up the next morning, warm and comfortable. He stretched and looked around for his alarm clock. It wasn’t there. He sat up blinking and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. This was Tommy’s bedroom. Merton turned and saw the werewolf sleeping peacefully next to him. Then it all came back to him: everything they said, everything they…did.

Love, particularly Tommy’s, was all he’d ever wanted, and hearing the quarterback say those words to him was the single greatest moment of his life. So he couldn’t understand why he suddenly felt sick. In the heat of the moment everything was fantastic, and all he felt was joy and excitement and want, but now lacking the endorphin high he was terrified. He needed to get out of there.

Merton rolled out of bed carefully so as not to wake the other man and stood up. He was embarrassed to discover he was completely naked. Tommy had seen him naked. Because they had sex. Mind-blowing sex that had him screaming and begging and practically in tears.  _Oh_ _god._ Feeling exposed, he quietly padded over to his duffel bag and put on some pajama pants and a t-shirt before tiptoeing downstairs to the living room.

He wasn’t even sure why he was panicking. The logical part of his brain told him to relax because Tommy made his feelings perfectly clear the previous night. He truly did care for him and it wasn’t a trick. It was wonderful, actually. After they showered they crawled back into bed, both exhausted. Then Tommy held him. Merton fell asleep with his back pressed against the werewolf’s chest and the soothing caress of fingers running through his towel-dried hair.

It all felt surreal. Having someone that close to him was overwhelming and he didn’t know how to handle it. His own family had practically disowned him and 'friend' was a concept he’d only recently grown accustomed to. Now _lover_? Sure he’d dated, but everyone he tried to got involved with ended up being phony, always seeking to exploit him in one way or another. Vesper, Violet, Raven, Hyacinthe, and even Cassandra who genuinely liked him asked him to _die_ in order to be with her. He was used to rejection, but this was different. Tommy wasn’t just some guy; he was his best friend. One of his only friends. Someone he cared for deeply.

He needed to distract himself. Merton went on autopilot and did what he often did when stressed out; he cooked. He did this frequently at home and it kept his mind occupied. The goth rummaged through the refrigerator in the kitchen for supplies and started making food: eggs, bacon, and Belgian waffles piled high with strawberry compote and whipped cream. He almost dropped the finished plates when he heard a noise coming from the doorway.

“Oh awesome, man! You made breakfast?” Tommy yawned, leaning into the kitchen. His hair was a mess, and he was wearing nothing but a pair of navy colored boxer-briefs slung low on his well-defined hips.

Merton tried not to stare, unsure if their relationship allowed for him to ogle. “Uh, yeah. I guess.” He awkwardly thrust one of the plates out to Tommy, blocking his path when the werewolf tried to lean in to kiss him. 

Tommy took it from him and then blinked. He set the food on the counter. “Merton, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing. Why?” Merton answered nervously.

“You’re not looking at me and I can smell that you’re afraid.” Tommy frowned. He placed his hand on Merton’s shoulder and his eyes began to glow with guilt. “Did I hurt you yesterday?” His voice was hardly more than a whisper. 

Merton felt ashamed. Tommy was being so good to him and he knew he had no right to feel the way he did. “No, you were great.”

“What is it then? Are you worried about the werewolf thing? Do you need to take wolfsbane?” Tommy asked, brows furrowed.

Now Merton was really confused. “What? Why?”

“I bit you and then we...made love. You’re not gonna turn are you?”

Merton smiled internally at his choice of phrasing. The football captain was unabashedly a romantic. He didn’t know what surprised him more, the fact that Tommy slept with him right off the bat, or that it didn’t involve any champagne and rose petals. It was part of what frightened him. Everything happened between them so fast that it felt completely out of Tommy’s character. Maybe it didn’t mean much to him.

Merton shook his head, waving off the quarterback’s concern. “I still have the antibodies in my system from when you bit me before. I can’t be re-infected.”

“Are you sure? Because I just got you. I don’t want you to go evil on me,” Tommy smiled, ribbing him gently. 

Merton chuckled, Tommy’s humor dissolving some of the tension he felt. “Believe me, I don’t want to go through that again either. If you start to notice me showing symptoms before the next full moon, feel free to hold me down and force-feed it to me. But I’m fairly positive we’re in the clear.”

“Then what is it? Tell me the truth.”

It wasn’t a request, but it wasn’t forceful either. Merton could see the obvious concern on the other man’s face. And Tommy still hadn’t let go of his shoulder. He decided the only thing to do was to lay it all out there. The situation was already as dire as it could possibly be, and honesty couldn’t make it any worse at this point.

Merton spoke quickly and ran through his words without breathing. “Tommy, you have this tendency to fall for people way too fast. I’m worried you haven’t thought this through at all.”

Tommy looked at him incredulously. “ _Me?_ You’ve dated more people than I have this year.”

“Yeah, but unlike you I don’t have a pathological fear of being alone, and the need to confess my undying love to every last person I date. Remember _Tori_?” Merton bit back, instantly regretting the harshness of his tone.

Tommy nodded begrudgingly and cleared his throat. “Look, I know Tori was a mistake. But this is different. I’m not on the rebound, and I have thought about this.”

Merton looked down at the white tile floor. “You sure about that? It wasn’t too long ago you wanted to rip my head off for kissing Lori Baxter,” he said, voice shaking.

It was the first time either of them had mentioned the incident since Merton was poisoned. Neither of them really wanted to address it as it was a sore spot for everyone involved. Merton waited for the response he didn’t really want to hear.

Tommy paused for a long moment, considering the question. “I’m over Lori. As much as I cared about her we aren’t right for each other. Our relationship was a distraction from everything else that mattered. You’re different. When we’re together everything just falls into place. Even when we’re pissed at each other we put it aside until the problems are taken care of, because we know in the end we’re there for each other. No matter what. I didn’t have that with her.”

Merton glowed. The werewolf obviously had given this some thought. His fear wasn’t totally eradicated, however. “And have you thought about what you’ll tell people about us? What about your parents? Or your teammates?”

“My parents will be cool with it. Maybe a little confused, but they’ll come around. Mom especially. And most of the guys already think we’re secretly dating,” the werewolf said simply.

Merton‘s eyes widened in surprise. “Why would they think that?”

“They asked why I’m so protective of you and why we’re always together if we’re not, you know, together. They had a good point. It’s what got me started thinking about us in the first place.” Tommy said shrugging his shoulders. “Some are supportive, some of them got weird around me, but most won’t dare say anything. They know I can cut them from the team if they try to start something. Who knows, maybe T&T will leave you alone more if they find out we’re dating.”

It was a huge relief to find out most of the guys already suspected. At least Tommy wouldn’t be walking into completely unknown territory when he told people. For him to think about what he’d say to his parents he must truly be serious about their relationship. Merton could feel his body relaxing. “I was worried you might have changed your mind about ‘dating’. Things went kind of fast yesterday and you’re not a very fast-moving guy.”

Tommy hunched over, scratching the back of his head. He looked somewhat ashamed. “Nothing was fast. I struggled with how to tell you for months. And then once I had you and you said you loved me too, I wanted all of you. Didn’t…didn’t you feel the same way?”

Merton beamed at him. That was all the confirmation he needed. “Yeah I did. Exactly like that."

Tommy grinned, standing upright. “Can I kiss you now then?”

Merton huffed a laugh and nodded. He quickly found himself in a crushing embrace with the quarterback’s mouth on his. He melted into the kiss, contented. By the time Tommy released him he was struggling to take air into his lungs from being squeezed so hard.

The quarterback kissed him softly on the cheek. As he pulled away from Merton, he picked his plate up off the counter and began shoveling waffles into his mouth. He raised his eyebrows as he chewed thoughtfully. “I was wrong, man. Maybe my mom won’t like us being together.”

Merton blinked at him in horror. “Why? What did I do?”

Tommy smirked. “I’ve had your turkey and stuffing, now I’ve had your waffles. I don’t think she’ll like having someone around who’s a better chef than she is.”

 

 


End file.
